Up in Flames
Up in Flames is the third and final studio album by Canadian recording artist Josh Kingston. It was released on 28 June 2013 by Banana Music under a partnership with Indigo Records and Thirteen Records in association with Kingdom Music. Development for the album first began in March 2012 during promotion of Kingston's second album while recording sessions took place during the first half of 2013 at Guardings Studio in New York City. The album is a follow-up to his 2012 album ''In January. The album sees a return of his standard alternative rock genre, however replaces his signature pop rock sound with new genres including funk, disco, and R&B. Kingston has stated the album was influenced by "70's funk and psychedelic music", while the album also incorporates an "R&B-rock flare". The record's main themes include nostalgia, lust, love, and sex. The album's lead single "Charlie Brown" was released on 3 March 2013, followed by its second single "Madness", released on 19 April 2013 and its third single "Get Lucky", released on 6 June 2013. Upon release,'' Up in Flames'' received positive reviews from music critics, who praised Kingston's ability to utilize numerous unique genres and complimented his improving talent; although some critics noted that his vocal ability was at times subpar. Kingston continued promotion of the album following its release; its fourth single "Strawberry Swing" was released on 21 July 2013, while its fifth single "Talk" was released on 30 September 2013. Its sixth and final single "Bad Religion" was released on 7 December 2013. Up in Flames was certified 2x Platinum by the Banana Music Certification System in June 2014. Development history '''March–December 2012: Early development & title In March 2012, Kingston announced his intentions to record a third album. Initially, Kingston had planned to have his third album consist entirely of original music, and he was hoping to spend the majority of the remainder of the year writing for the album. However, Banana Music advised him that the process of recording an original album would be strenuous and time consuming, so Kingston subsequently decided to have his third album consist of mainly covers. Despite this, he continued writing original songs, which he planned to incorporate onto his third album or onto other future releases. Following the release of'' In January: Four Seasons'' in June 2012, Kingston had an online conference with Banana Music founder, Nick Roads, where they discussed Kingston's third album. During this conference, Kingston expressed interest to begin recording his third album in September 2012 for a potential April 2013 release, similar to what was done with his second album (which began recording in September 2011 and was released in April 2012). However, after looking through files on his computer, Kingston recovered audio from recording sessions from his second album, and decided to release a second re-release, In January: The Complete Collection, which was released in November. Due to the promotion of The Complete Collection, Kingston postponed the start of recording for his third album. In December 2012, while putting together the theme of the album, Kingston was looking for inspiration and came across pictures of the city of Amsterdam, as well as Joseph Mallord William Turner's The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons paintings, which depict the 1834 burning of the Palace of Westminster. Following this, Kingston decided to give a "firey European" persona to the album. After discovering the song "Up in Flames" by Coldplay, Kingston decided to cover the song and name the album after it, although the song was ultimately not included on the record. He also chose to record the song "Lost" by Frank Ocean, which includes a reference to Amsterdam, and the song "Amsterdam" by Coldplay - however neither of the songs made the final cut of the album. He briefly considered naming the album Amsterdam. Later on in the album's recording process, Kingston became inspired by Jamaica after deciding on a Summer release and travelling to the Carribean country. The background image on the album is a photo that Kingston took during a bus tour in Montego Bay, Jamaica in July 2012. 'January–June 2013: Recording & release' After deciding on creative a funk rock-fused album, Kingston enlisted Jamal Andrew to be the musical producer on the album after previously working with him on "Eyes Open", a song from his second album. Kingston intended to also record some songs with Nick Roads serving as the musical producer, after he had produced his first two albums, however Roads encouraged Kingston to work solely with Andrew in order to develop the new funk sound he was aiming for. Despite this, Roads remained on board as the album's executive producer and Kingston began recording the album on 1 January 2013. The first song he recorded for the album was "Madness". Following this, he recorded the tracks "Tonight I'm Getting Over You", "Cinema", and "I Need Your Love". After realizing the album was becoming an EDM and dubstep album, Kingston decided that he wanted the album's overall sound to be completely different and all three of these songs were dropped. Later that month, he had another online conference with Roads, where they discussed the title, release date, and release strategy for his new album. During this conference, Kingston expressed dissatisfaction with the album so far and announced his intention to scrap the album's EDM and dubstep tracks and essentially start over. He told Roads that he wanted to make "a funk rock and R&B summer album" that contained minimal electronic influences and sounded "very 1970's disco funk-esque" while "capturing the emotion of modern alternative rock, R&B, and reggae". Roads advised him to listen to the music of Frank Ocean, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, Queen, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, and Tame Impala. In mid-February, Roads told Kingston that Banana Music wished to release the album during the last week of April (the same time'' In January'' was released in 2012) however Kingston estimated that the album would not be completed until May. Kingston told his label that he would have enough finished songs to choose a single by the end of February. He continued recording the album, and initially chose to release "State of Grace" as the lead single. However, he changed his mind regarding the single several times, chosing songs such as "Madness", "End of Time", "Locked Out of Heaven" and "Clocks". At the end of February, he submitted "Clocks" to Banana Music to release as the lead single, however changed the single to "Charlie Brown" at the last minute. On 3 March 2013, he announced a June 2013 release for the album, which was later specified as 23 June in an 8 April announcement. He took a recording hiatus during March and the first half of April to focus on promoting the album. As recording for the album reached a climax, Kingston noticed that he had only recorded one song by a female during recording sessions and decided to make the album "masculine while still having poignant moments". He stated the album would be "funner and generally happier" than his first two albums. Kingston took a recording hiatus in March and recording resumed the following month. On 8 April, he guest hosted Banana Recordz Countdown where he announced that Up in Flames would be available on 23 June. On 19 April, the album's second single "Madness" was released. Two days later, he announced that the album was finished, however that he would record the final song in May. However, on 6 May, he stated that he was still recording new songs for the album. For the remainder of May, he took a hiatus from promoting the album in order to focus on recording. On 1 June, he announced the album's release had been pushed back to 28 June. The album's third single "Get Lucky" was released on 6 June. A few days later, he scrapped half of the album and re-recorded and replaced several tracks in order to make the album "less idiosyncratic and more enjoyable". In order to do this, he removed the only two original songs that he had written himself for the album, which he described as "too grungy" to fit the album's theme. The two original songs were called "Manhattan" and "White Piano". A total of twenty tracks were recorded for the album, however only ten made the final cut. On 21 June, Banana Music Group said in a statement that, although Up in Flames contained "sexual content", it did not contain "explicit language" and therefore would not be issued with a parental advisory. Kingston held another online conference with Roads on 23 June, during which it was determined that "Strawberry Swing" would be released as the fourth single. Recording for the album was completed on 25 June and the album was turned in later that day, however its final mix was not approved by Nick Roads and three songs: "Elephant", "Sweater Weather", and "Strawberry Swing" required re-mixing. Kingston re-produced the tracks and turned in the album on 27 June. The final mix was approved three hours before the album's release. The album was released as planned on 28 June for digital download via SendSpace. '''July–''December 2013: Subsequent promotion & end of era On the day of the release of Up in Flames, Kingston posted an open letter on TwitLonger entitled Up in Flames: A Letter. The letter detailed the album's recording process and stages of development, and also briefly discussed his plans for his fourth album. A second open letter, entitled Up in Flames: 5 A.M. Life was released on 29 June, in which Kingston described his thoughts on the album being out. "Strawberry Swing" was released as the album's fourth single on 21 July 2013. The single received little promotion due to Kingston's time being occupied by[[ Dark Theater| Dark Theater]]. The album impacted digital streaming service Chirbit on 15 August with a revised track listing. A newly-recorded version of "Charlie Brown" entitled "Charlie Brown (Live)" was released on 31 August. In August, Kingston stated that he would like to release "Bad Religion" as the fifth single, however "Talk" was ultimately chosen instead. It was released as the fifth single on 30 September. As of 1 October, the album is available for physical CD purchase. In October, Kingston and Roads held an online conference to determine how to end the Up in Flames era. Although Roads suggested re-releasing the album, Kingston expressed interest to end the album cycle "soon" so that he could begin working on his fourth album. Banana Music elected to release "Sweater Weather" as the sixth single in November and "Bad Religion" as the seventh and final single in January, however Kingston and Roads both felt that a seventh single was unnecessary and felt that the album cycle should conclude by the end of the year. The release of "Sweater Weather" was ultimately cancelled. On 10 November, Kingston announced that "Bad Religion" would be released as the album's sixth and final single in December. It was released on 7 December. The following day, an audio video for "Bad Religion" was released which contained a quotation from Kingston stating: : "Thank you so much to everyone who helped and supported me during the cycle of Up in Flames. This album's era has truly been nothing but an exciting blessing and I am so happy that my team was able to help my vision for this album come true. This has been an incredible experience and I am so excited to begin working on new music and to see what the future has in store. THE UP IN FLAMES ERA IS OFFICIALLY OVER. HAVE AN INCREDIBLE NEW YEAR AND I WILL SEE YOU IN 2014". Kingston announced his fourth album Spectrum in May 2014, however the album was cancelled following Kingston's retirement. Singles 'Official singles' *"Charlie Brown" premiered as the album's lead single on 3 March 2013 via a highly anticipated and publicized USTREAM. The song was released for digital download and online streaming on the same day. It impacted Banana Radio on 4 March. The song has been certified Platinum. *"Madness" premiered on Banana Recordz Countdown on 15 April 2013. The song had been planned for digital download and online streaming release on 16 April, however was delayed to 19 April in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings. Prior to official release, Kingston leaked the song on his Chirbit account on 12 April. The song has been certified Bronze. *"Get Lucky" was released as the album's third single on 6 June 2013. Upon initial release, the song became available for digital download via SendSpace and online streaming via Chirbit. It was released for online streaming via YouTube on 11 June. A music video for the song was filmed on 23 June and is awaiting a Fall release. The song has been certified Bronze. *"Strawberry Swing" was released for digital download via SendSpace on 21 July 2013 as the album's fourth single. It was released for online streaming via Chirbit on 30 July. A music video for the song was filmed on 9 August and is awaiting a Winter release. A lyric video was released via Viddy on 20 August. The song has been certified Bronze. *"Talk" was released for digital download via SendSpace on 30 September 2013 as the album's fifth single. The song was released for online streaming via Viddy on 1 October. A lyric video for the song was released via YouTube on 17 November. The song has been certified Gold. *"Bad Religion" was released for digital download via SendSpace on 7 December 2013 as the album's sixth and final single. An audio video for the song was released via YouTube on 8 December. The song was sent to Banana Radio on 15 December. 'Promotional singles' "I Need Your Love" was released for online streaming via Chirbit on 2 April 2013, after premiering on Banana Recordz Countdown the previous day. The song was released as a promotional single primarily to promote Kingston's appearance as a guest host on the 8 April episode of Countdown. After the album's track listing was revamped and Kingston scrapped several of the album's songs, "I Need Your Love" was ultimately emitted from the final track listing and therefore did not appear on the album. The album's second promotional single, "Treasure" was released on 27 June 2013 for online streaming via Chirbit. The song was the final song to be released prior to the album's release, and was primarily intended to promote the SendSpace download release of Up in Flames. "Bad Religion" was released as the album's third promotional single on 30 July 2013 for online streaming via Chirbit. It was the first post-album release promotional single and was intended to promote the Chirbit streaming release of the album. Josh Kingston released two promotional singles on 15 September 2013 for online streaming via Chirbit. The first, "Locked Out of Heaven" was released as the album's fourth promotional single, while the second, "Talk" was released as the album's fourth promotional single. On 13 April 2014, Banana Music Group announced that "Sweater Weather" would be released as a promotional single on 19 April 2014 in celebration of Record Store Day. The song was released in a limited edition extended play that features a newly-recorded song entitled "Heaven" as a B-side. 'Radio singles' *"Charlie Brown" was added to Banana Recordz Countdown as the album's first radio single on 4 March 2013. *"Madness" was added to Banana Recordz Countdown as the album's second radio single on 15 April 2013. *"Bad Religion" was serviced to Banana Radio as the album's third and final radio single on 15 December 2013. Promotion 'General promotion' Kingston began promoting the album in Fall 2012; prior to the commencement of recording. The album was largely promoted through Twitter, while the video sharing services Cinegram and Vine were also used to promote the album in June 2013. A banner for the album also appeared on Banana Music's website and several promotional videos were uploaded to the Banana Television YouTube channel. Following the album's release, Banana Music described the album as the "most-promoted record" in the label's history. In May 2013, Kingston declared plans to release every song on the album as either a single, promotional single, or radio-only single, however later cancelled these plans after switching to a new publishing company. In July 2013, Banana Music posted a 15-second clip of every song on the album on their Instagram account. 'Live performances' Kingston performed "Charlie Brown" during a live press event on 29 March 2013. He performed "Get Lucky" as a duet with Cheyenne Tulico at a benefit concert in Jersey City on 6 June 2013. He performed "Strawberry Swing", "Bad Religion", "Charlie Brown", "Get Lucky" and "Talk" at a promotional event in New York on 28 June 2013 to celebrate the release of the album. On 4 July 2013, he performed at the We Are Saviour Benefit Concert in Buffalo, New York where he performed "Get Lucky" and "Bad Religion". Kingston performed "Elephant" during the first semiannual Banana Music Group Press Event on 30 November. Composition Kingston has stated that he considers the album to be made up of two entirely different moods and atmopsheres - with the first half of the album containing "fun funky Summer songs" and the second half of the album primarily consisting of "slower alternative and indie rock tracks". The album predominantly contains funk, alternative rock, R&B, and disco influences, while also containing afro-pop, electronic rock, highlife, indie pop, indie rock, neo-soul, new wave, post-Britpop, psychedelic rock, reggae rock, synth rock, and synthpop genres. The album's opening track "Talk" is an "airy" alternative rock track originally recorded by Coldplay for their 2005 album X&Y. The lyrics of the track involve a man seeking therapeutic advice. "Madness", the album's second track, is an electronic rock and synthpop track originally recorded by Muse for their 2012 album The 2nd Law that Kingston describes as "intense". The song is about a complex and difficult relationship and gradually progresses from a minimalist production to a dramatic ending. "Charlie Brown", an alternative rock and electronic rock track originally recorded by Coldplay for their 2011 album Mylo Xyloto, serves as the album's third track - with Kingston describing it as "a Spring weather" song that is "light and airy". The lyrics of the song are from a man's point of view; discussing nostalgia of living in an urban area. The album's fourth track "Get Lucky" is a funk disco track originally recorded by Daft Punk for their 2013 album Random Access Memories and featuring Pharrell that Kingston describes as "sensually Summer". The lyrics of the track involve a man describing his sexual and romantic desires. The album's fifth track is the indie rock song "Sweater Weather", originally recorded by The Neighbourhood for their 2013 album'' I Love You'', which Kingston describes as one of the album's "more intense moments". The song's lyrics focus on a relationship blossoming during the winter. The album's sixth track is "Strawberry Swing", originally recorded by Coldplay for their 2008 album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, however Kingston replaces the lyrics with the ones of Frank Ocean's 2011 Nostalgia Ultra version, which Kingston describes as "nostalgic and emotional". The song's lyrics focus on a man reminiscing during an apocalypse about his summertime activities. Kingston's version of the song feature guest vocals from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who is credited, and Frank Ocean, who is not credited. The album's seventh song "Locked Out of Heaven", originally recorded by Bruno Mars for his 2012 album Unorthodox Jukebox is a new wave, funk, and reggae rock track that Kingston describes as "really fun and sexy". The lyrics describe a man feeling he has been shunned of his sexual desires because of his female interest's hard-to-get personality. The album's eighth track "Elephant" is a psychedelic rock track originally recorded by Tame Impala for their 2012 album Lonerism that Kingston describes as "bangingly high" and "very rock-ish". The lyrics focus on a man describing another man whom he feels is cocky and self-centered. The ninth and penultimate track "Treasure", recorded by Bruno Mars for 2012's Unorthodox Jukebox is a disco and funk song that Kingston compared to "Get Lucky", calling it "a lot of fun and totally care-free". The song focuses on a man describing how "special" his love interest is. The album's final track "Bad Religion", originally recorded by Frank Ocean for his 2012 effort Channel Orange is an R&B neo-soul song that sees the album take "a very emotional turn", with Kingston describing it as "heart-breaking" and "the most poignant song on the record, by far". The lyrics of the song focus on a man discussing his sins with a taxi driver. Kingston's version of the song features a sample of Frank Ocean's version of the song and Ocean is credited as a guest vocalist on the song on the Chirbit version of the album. Track listing The official track listing for the album was kept a secret and was not released prior to the album's release, however many rumoured track listings leaked prior to the album's release. Critical reception Upon release, Up in Flames received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who praised Kingston's improved vocals and his ability to utilize several genres.'' First Stop News'' gave the album a 79%, calling it Kingston's best album to date. In the review, the news port stated, "With his latest effort, Kingston offers listeners; vocally and song-choice wise, his best album to date. While his previous records have consisted of strong alternative and pop rock influences, Kingston shows with Up in Flames that he is not scared to experiment with other genres - giving listeners a highly-diversified and unique musical experience. Although Kingston's vocal ability is clearly continuing to develop and strengthen, his talent has improved remarkably in the last year, and with his newly-found musical stance, it is clear that Kingston's highly-anticipated upcoming original album will be an exciting and unique effort". Briser le Bordeaux Nouvelles published a positive review, giving the album 8.2 out of 10 stars, and stating, "Although Kingston's vocal ability is obviously still improving, he has created an exciting funk-rock album that displays and shows off his unique taste for music and shows that he is starting to become a respectable and diverse musician", although criticized the album's "abundant" themes which were described as "confusing". Music Radar gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, stating, "Up in Flames is a step in the right direction and a massive improvement over its predecessors, however the sound Kingston adopts on this record does not always suit his personality and finds him sounding uncomfortable and off-key on several occasions. Compliments go to him for trying a new sound, however the sound is too sexual and edgy to be achievable due to his youth". Release history